United Air Lines has plans to purchase 150 narrow body Boeing 737 aircraft for delivery between 2013 and 2022, its parent company United Continental Holdings announced recently.

The Chicago-based airline’s new aircraft order includes 100 Boeing 737 MAX 9 aircraft and 50 Boeing 737-900ER planes. The move is part of on-going efforts to modernize its fleet.

The new aircraft will replace older, less fuel-efficient planes and will reduce the airline’s operating costs and enhance the customer experience, United Continental said in a statement.

United_737_Max9 Front, United/COURTESY

“This order is a major step in building the world’s leading airline, and we look forward to offering our customers the modern features and reliability of new Boeing airplanes, while also making our fleet more fuel efficient and environmentally friendly,” United’s President and CEO Jeff Smisek said. “New aircraft deliveries support our flexible fleet plan, permitting us to tailor future capacity up or down, based on changes in demand or other market conditions.”

United, which will begin taking delivery of the Boeing 737 MAX 9 planes in 2018, is the North American launch customer for this aircraft model.

Delivery of the Boeing 737-900 aircraft, which will sport the Boeing Sky Interior, will begin in late 2013.

“These new aircraft, combined with our new widebody aircraft already on order and our existing fuel-efficient aircraft, will solidify United’s future fleet as one of the most efficient and environmentally responsible fleets among our global competitors,” said Smisek.

The airline has signed a letter of intent with LiveTV, a Melbourne, Fla.-based in-flight entertainment company, to offer WI-Fi on its flights starting next year, parent company United Continental Holdings announced recently.

757 aircraft, Courtesy of Continental.com

Continental plans to offer the Wi-Fi service on more than 200 domestic Boeing 737 and 757 aircraft equipped with DirecTV entertainment.

LiveTV, which also has an office in Orlando, will provide the Wi-Fi access using a Ka-band system that delivers higher transmission speeds for enhanced onboard connectivity.

Ka-band will use ViaSat’s ViaSat-1, which will be the world’s highest-capacity satellite when it launches later this year, United Continental Holdings said.

Sister carrier United Airlines currently offers onboard Wi-Fi on 14 aircraft, including its flights connecting New York’s JFK airport with Los Angeles and San Francisco.